Copyrighted by the Smithsonian Institution,
all rights reserved. Used by permission

Photo linked to the Smithsonian where
I found it.

One thing I would always like visitors to this site to keep in mind is
that the common pigeon or rock dove of Eurasia is merely one species among
many in the Columbiformes, the order of pigeons and doves. That
one species has been molded by man into literally hundreds of forms and
colors. However, there ARE other naturally occurring species around
the world that are also extremely beautiful -- many in fact are found in
colors that are nothing like the domestics. I'm talking about
brilliant greens, emeralds, red, scarlet, lavenders, and some species also
have iridescent feathers all over their body and not simply on the neck area
as do the common and domestic birds. Many wild species show extreme
sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female are very different in color and/or
pattern.

Wild species of
pigeons/doves range in size from some of the ground pigeons smaller than
some sparrows to the giant Victoria Crowned Pigeons that are almost the size
of small turkeys. If any of
you have good, clear shots of wild species that I can use, I'd appreciate
receiving them. However, while I want to add a few, I don't want to
reinvent the wheel. That's why I have links to some great sites below
with some fine photos. I, personally, find the International Dove
Society pages especially interesting.

Thanks to biologist and photographer, Brian Schmidt, and to Craig
Ludwig, webmaster of the the Smithsonian Institution's page, I've been granted permission to show you
the Picazuro Pigeon, Columba picazuro,native of Argentina. According to another
article I've read, it is also becoming common in Brazil.

Below is a picture of a male Jambu Fruit
Dove, Ptilinopus jambu, at the Honolulu Zoo, which granted me
permission to use the shot. The Jambu is native to Sumatra, Java,
Thailand and Malaya. It inhabits mangrove swamps and rainforests.
This is one species that has very pronounced sexual dimorphism. You
can see photos of the female and juvenile at the International Dove Society
link below. Photos like this make it much easier to understand the
biological relationships between pigeons and doves and parrots. The
photo is linked to the Honolulu Zoo site.